Doors

ABSTRACT

A DOOR CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING A PAIR OF DOOR PANELS, ONE OF SAID DOOR PANELS BEING HINGED TO A DOOR FRAME AND HAVING GUIDE MEMBERS SECURED TO ONE SIDE THEREOF FOR CONTAINING A SECOND DOOR PANEL WHICH IS SLIDABLE WITH REFERENCE TO SAID GUIDE MEMBERS, THE SECOND DOOR PANEL BEING ALSO SLIDABLE, IN THE CLOSED POSITION OF THE HINGED DOOR PANEL, IN GUIDE MEMBERS SECURED TO THE DOOR FRAME, THE ARRANGEMENT BEING SUCH THAT, WHEN THE SLIDABLE DOOR PANEL IS LOCATED IN THE GUIDE MEMBERS SECURED TO THE DOOR FRAME, THE SLIDABLE DOOR PANEL PREVENTS SWINGING MOVEMENT OF THE HINGED DOOR PANEL, WHEREAS, UPON SLIDING MOVEMENT OF THE SLIDABLE DOOR PANEL INTO THE GUIDE MEMBERS SECURED TO THE HINGED DOOR PANEL AND OUT OF THE GUIDE MEMBERS SECURED TO THE DOOR FRAME, BOTH DOOR PANELS ARE MOVABLE AS A UNIT ABOUT THE HINGED EDGE OF THE HINGED DOOR PANEL.

P. r. BOYLE Jan. 5, 1971' DOORS 3 Sheet s-Sheet 1 Filed fibv. g9. 1968 v P. T. BOYLE I Jan. 5, 1971 DOORS 3 SheetsSheet 2 Filed Nov. 29, 1968 Jan. 5, 1971 P. T. BOYLE DOORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 29, 195B llllLrlllllllllllIlllllllll' |I|||l|l ||I|| 3,552,060 DOORS Patrick Timothy Boyle, 27 Clune Road, Finglas, Dublin 11, Ireland Filed Nov. 29, 1968, Ser. No. 779,717 Claims priority, applicatirsmtigreland, Nov. 28, 1967,

Int. Cl. E05d /22 U.S. Cl. 49-402 13 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A door construction comprising a pair of door panels, one of said door panels being hinged to a door frame and having guide members secured to one side thereof for containing a second door panel which is slidable with reference to said guide members, the second door panel being also slidable, in the closed position of the hinged door panel, in guide members secured to the door frame, the arrangement being such that, when the slidable door panel is located in the guide members secured to the door frame, the slidable door panel prevents swinging movement of the hinged door panel, whereas, upon sliding movement of the slidable door panel into the guide members secured to the hinged door panel and out of the guide members secured to the door frame, both door panels are movable as a unit about the hinged edge of the hinged door panel.

The present invention concerns improvements in and relating to doors and the invention is particularly, though not exclusively, concerned with doors for commercial motor vehicles, containers, caravans, display units, railway wagons, garages and industrial buildings.

Doors which are hinged about vertical axes to the sides of a door frame suffer from a number of disadvantages. In particular, such doors constitute a hazard, for example, when employed on commercial road vehicles. An object of the present invention is to mitigatethe disadvantages of conventional door constructions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the invention this object is achieved by providing a door construction in which one of a pair of door panels which cooperate to close the door opening is hingedly connected to the door frame for swinging movement about a horizontal axis located at the upper part of the door opening, into and out of a closed position in the said upper part. This door panel carries two guide channel members spaced apart thereon and extending perpendicularly relatively to the horizontal axis, these channel members serving to guide the other door panel for sliding movement relatively to the first-mentioned door panel. Two stationary guide channel members are mounted on the door frame at opposite sides of the lower part of the door opening, in such positions that when the first-mentioned door panel is in its closed position each of the guide channel members carried thereby cooperates with one of the stationary guide channel members mounted on the door frame to form a continuous guide channel for the other door panel. Thus this other door panel can occupy a position in the lower part of the door opening in which it is engaged partly with the stationary guide channel members and partly with the guide channel members carried by the first-mentioned door panel. When it occupies this position the said other door panel prevents swinging movement of the first-mentioned door panel out of its closed position, but the continuous guide channels can serve to guide the said other door panel for sliding movement out of its position in the lower part of the door opening into a position in which it is wholly engaged by I nited States Patent the guide channel members carried by the first-mentioned door panel and is disengaged from the stationary guide channel members. The two door panels are then free to swing together about the horizontal axis, out of the position in which the first-mentioned door panel is closed.

Means may be provided for supporting the two door panels in any desired displaced position, but preferably such means act to support the two door panels in a position in which they extend substantially horizontally away from the axis of swinging movement, outwardly of the door opening, so as to form a canopy above the door opening.

The lower door panel is advantageously supported upon T-shaped slides which project into the channel shaped guides on the upper door panel when the door is closed, the slides being movable into said guides when it is desired to open the door.

Advantageously, opening movement of the upper door panel about its hinged edge is assisted or effected by power operated means. In addition, sliding movement of the lower door panel may be assisted or effected by power operated means. Alternatively, or in addition, spring means may assist the movement of one or both door panels.

When the upper door panel is hinged at the top edge thereof, upward movement of the lower door panel into the channel shaped guides associated with the upper panel may be assisted by spring means which counter balances a substantial proportion of the weight of the lower door panel and associated slides.

When it is desired to open the door panels, it is merely necessary to release a locking mechanism associated with a stiffener in the form of a transverse bracket on the lower door panel and to slide the latter into the channel shaped guides on the interior of the upper door panel until one limb of the transverse bracket abuts against the free edge of the upper door panel. By applying pressure to the transverse bracket, the unit comprising the lower door panel and the upper door panel may then be swung about the hinged edge of the latter to fully open the door panels.

The invention will hereinafter be described more particularly with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example only, a preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein,

FIG. 1 is a rear elevation of the door in its fully closed position,

FIG. 2 is a plan view, to an enlarged scale, on the lines IIII of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the door in its fully closed position,

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the door in a partially open position,

FIG. 5 shows a detail, to an enlarged scale, of portion of FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is a side elevation showing the door in one opening position, and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view, to an enlarged scale, of a detail of FIG. 6, parts being cut away for the sake of clarity.

Referring to the drawings, the door construction shown comprises an upper door panel 1 and a lower door panel 2, the latter being slidable upwardly and behind the upper door panel 1. The lower door panel 2 is mounted upon T-shaped guides 3 (see FIG. 2) slidable in frame channel members 4 secured to and within a door frame 5, the upper portion of the lower door panel 2 being located in complementary door channel members 6 secured to the interior of the upper door panel 1 adjacent the side edges thereof. The lower door panel 2 is slidable within a pair of continuous channels defined by the frame channel members 4 and the door channel members 6 when the door panel members 1 and 2 are in the positions shown in FIG. 3. The upper door panel 1 is hingedly connected at the top edge thereof to a door headboard 7 by an elongated hinge 8- and has a stiffening transverse bracket 9 secured adjacent the bottom edge thereof.

Attached to the top edge of the lower door panel 2 is a stiffening transverse bracket 9b to which is secured, by bolts 13, a pair of spaced apart hinge elements 10. To one end of each of the pair of hinge elements 10 is secured a tensator spring 11, the other ends of which are mounted on the door headboard 7 (see FIG. 1) by bolts 12. A similar stiffening transverse bracket 90 is secured to the bottom edge of the lower door panel 2.

Secured to each of the door channel members 6 is an L-shaped bracket 14, to each of which is pivotally connected, by means of a pivot pin and a retaining nut 16, one end of a quadrant arm 17, the other end of which is pivotally connected, by means of a pivot pin 18 and retaining nut 19, to a slide block 22 of Polypenco (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Each block 22 is slidable in a channel shaped track 23 secured to the adjacent side of the door frame 5 and attached to each block 22 of Polypenco is one end of a tensator spring 24, the other end of which is detachably mounted in a support bracket 25 secured to the door frame 7.

FIGS. 1 and 3 show the door in its fully closed posi, tion, the lower door panel 2 and supporting T-shaped guides 3 being disposed within the frame channel members 4 with the upper edge of the lower door panel 2 projecting into the door channel members 4 on the upper door panel 1. It will be appreciated that, when the door is fully closed as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the upper door panel is immovable.

When it is desired to open the door, it is merely necessary to release a locking mechanism (not shown) and to apply upward pressure upon the lower door panel 2 through the intermediary of the transverse bracket 90. Upward movement of the lower door panel 2 is assisted by the pair of tensator springs 11 until a latch member 27 on the transverse bracket 90 engages a latch receiver 28 on the transverse bracket 9a, whereupon the lower door panel 2 is in the position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 and is located within the door channel members 6. During movement of the lower door panel 2 from the position shown in FIG. 3 to that shown in FIG. 4, the upper door panel 1 remains stationary.

When the lower door panel 2 has wholly emerged from the frame channel members 4 (see FIG. 4), the transverse bracket 90 may be moved outwardly in the direction shown by the arrow.

Upon outward movement of the upper and lower door panels 1 and 2, the tensator springs 24 operate to pull the slidable blocks 22 upwardly in the channel shaped tracks 23, upward movement of the blocks 22 causing the quadrant arms 17 to apply outward and upward pressure to the brackets 14 located on the door channel members 6 and consequently the upper door panel 1 and the lower door panel disposed within the channels 6 move towards the open position shown in FIG. 6.

A particularly useful feature of the door construction described with reference to the accompanying Drawings is that the door panels do not require supporting frames, since the door channel members 6, hinge 8 and transverse bracket 9a serve to stiffen the upper door panel 1, while the T-shaped supports 3 and the transverse brackets 91) and 9c serve to stiffen the lower door panel 2. Consequently, light weight door panels, for example, of fiberglass, may be employed.

If desired, means may be incorporated in the construction for retaining the door panels in any desired angular position of opening. For example, a rack and pinion arrangement may be provided for this purpose.

A conventional door locking mechanism may be employed to secure the door in its closed position, and preferably, the door locking mechanism may be released from the interior of the vehicle by Operation of a lever adjacent the driving controls on said motor vehicle.

The lower door panel 2 may be taped to facilitate reentry into the frame channel members 4 and padded channels may be provided to render the construction waterproof.

Each of the blocks 22 may be connected by a cable to a pulley wheel and each pulley wheel may be operatively associated with a tensator motor by means of which movement of the blocks 22 and quadrant arms 17 may be effected or assisted.

What is claimed is:

1. A door construction comprising a door frame providing a door opening, a pair of door panels which cooperate to close said door opening and hinge means connecting one of said door panels to said door frame for swinging movement about a horizontal axis located at the upper part of said door opening, into and out of a closed position in said upper part, said one door panel carrying two guide channel members spaced apart thereon and extending perpendicularly relatively to said axis, and serving to guide the other of said door panels for sliding movement relatively to said one door panel, said door construction also comprising two stationary guide channel members which are mounted on said door frame at opposite sides of the lower part of said door opening, such that when said one door panel is in said closed position each of said guide channel members carried thereby cooperates with one of said stationary guide channel members to form a continuous guide channel, so that said other door panel can occupy a position in the lower part of said door opening in which it is engaged partly with said stationary guide channel members and partly with said first-mentioned guide channel members carried by said one door panel, thereby to prevent swinging movement of said one door panel out of said closed position thereof, said continuous guide channels serving to guide said other door panel for sliding movement out of said position in the lower part of said door opening into a position in which it is wholly engaged by said first-mentioned guide channel members carried by said one door panel and is disengaged from said stationary guide channel members, whereby said door panels are free to swing together about the horizontal axis, out of said closed position of said one door panel.

2. A door construction accordance to claim 1, comprising spring means for biasing said other door panel out of said position in the lower part of said door opening toward said position in which it is wholly engaged by said first-mentioned guide channel members and lock means for retaining said other door panel in said position in the lower part of said door opening, against the action of said biasing means.

3. A door construction according to claim 1, comprising spring means for biasing said one door panel for swinging movement out of said closed position, said biasing means being operative to move said one door panel when said panels are freed for point swinging movement by disengagement of said other door panel from said stationary guide channel members.

4. A door construction according to claim 1, comprising latch means for retaining said other door panel in said position in which it is wholly engaged by said firstmentioned guide channel member carried by said one door panel.

5. A door construction according to claim 1, in which the lower door panel is connected to and supported upon T-shaped slides.

6. A door construction according to claim 1, in which sliding movement of the lower door panel and/ or opening movement of the upper panel is assisted or effected by power operated means.

7. A door construction according to claim 1, in which spring means assist the movement of one or both of the door panels.

8. A door construction according to any of claim 1, in which sliding movement of the lower door panel is assisted by a pair of tensator springs, operatively connected between the top edge of the lower door panel and between a rigid support associated with the top edge of the upper door panel.

9. A door construction according to any of claim 1, in which there is provided a pair of spaced apart arms operatively connected between the upper door panel and between track guided means for causing said arms to effect or assist swinging movement of said upper door panel about its hinged edge.

10. A door construction according to claim 9, in which the track guided means comprises a pair of guide elements or blocks slidable in tracks, said guide elements or blocks being responsive to spring means which serves to assist in opening the upper door panel when the latter has been moved by a predetermined amount.

11. A door construction according to claim 8, in which the spring means comprising a tensator spring operatively connected between each guide element or block and a rigid support adjacent the hinged edge of the upper door panel.

12. A door construction according to claim 8, in which the pair of spaced apart arms are pivotally connected at one end thereof to the guide channel members located on the upper door panel and at the other end thereof to the pair of movable guide elements or blocks, the latter being slidable under the action of spring means, in channel shaped tracks secured to the interior of the door frame and spaced from the guide channel members secured to the door frame.

13. A door construction according to claim 9, in which each arm is pivotally connected to an L-shaped bracket secured to each of the guide channel members secured to the upper door panel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 470,125 3/1892 Heacock et a1. 49-201X 844,024 2/1907 Johnson 49l45 1,274,439 8/1918 Ogden et a1 49-202 1,348,125 7/1920 Rush 160-207 1,460,687 7/ 1923 Tomkinson 49201X 1,537,300 5/1925 Haines 160-207X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,493,945 7/1967 France 49201 DENNIS L. TAYLOR, Primary Examiner Us. 01. X.R. 49 143-, 160-2 07 

